Fantasy football rankings Week 4: Dave Richard makes tough decisions who to start, sit and flex — SkimNews
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- Dave Richard's Week 4 rankings include a Top 150 plus position-by-position breakdowns (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DST), with matchup-driven start/sit/flex calls for every game.
- DK Metcalf is a viable flex play because the Browns lead the NFL in single-high safety coverage; however, Richard notes Cleveland's defense is 'sneaky good' after playing 77 snaps against the Panthers on Sunday.
- The Commanders' pass defense has surrendered five touchdowns to tight ends and six to wide receivers through three weeks, while posting just a 33.7% pass-rush pressure rate despite a 47% blitz rate, elevating Tyler Warren, Josh Downs, and Keenan Allen as starts and Daniel Jones as a desperation option.
- Zay Flowers owns a 45.5% target per route run rate against two-high zone looks — the Titans' preferred coverage — making him a must-start in a matchup where Mark Andrews could also benefit from red-zone play-action.
- Dalton Kincaid is projected as a Josh Allen focal point if D.J. Moore draws top corner Christian Gonzalez, since Richard expects the Patriots to stay in one-high man coverage rather than shift to a conservative two-high zone scheme.
- Luther Burden III and Kalif Raymond are the Bears pass-catchers to flex against the Jets, who have generated under 30% pressure in each of their past two games regardless of blitz rate.
- Jakobi Meyers is a flex play against the Bengals, who play the third-lowest rate of zone coverage in the league and lean on man-to-man on third downs — Meyers has seen a target on three of every 10 routes versus man this year.
Why it matters: Coverage-scheme analysis drives Richard's Week 4 calls: the Browns and Titans both play the coverages that unlock specific WRs (Metcalf vs. single-high, Flowers vs. two-high), while the Jets' lack of pressure and the Bengals' man-coverage tendencies on third down create exploitable pockets for Bears and Jaguars pass-catchers. Fantasy managers who plug in these matchup-specific recommendations gain an edge over the standard consensus rankings from a slate where five different teams rank as must-starts or viable flex options.
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